The Unusual Suspects
by CyclopsWasRight
Summary: Fred Myers, an average, deadbeat criminal, finds his world turned upside-down after an encounter with a web-slinging man in red and blue pajamas. Fred, along with the rest of his criminal gang, realize that they need to adapt to this new world of heroes if they want to keep making a living. And who exactly is this so-called Spider-Man anyways?
1. Welcome Back, Fred Myers

He felt bit rusty, but Fred was enjoying getting back to the old routine. He parked in his old, usual spot and then turned around to face the passenger seats. "Hey Herman, you got the masks?"

Herman unzipped his backpack and pulled out three cheap plastic masks, each portraying a different member of the Avengers. Mac punched him in the arm. "What the hell are these?" he complained, "What was wrong with the ski masks?"

"They get itchy, and I thought these would be more fun," Herman mumbled. Mac just sighed and snatched the _Hulk_ mask out of his hands.

Fred grabbed the _Iron Man_ mask. "I like them, they're, uhh, more _contemporary."_

Herman looked down at the last mask remaining. "Oh come on, why do I get the _Vision_ one? That guy creeps me out!"

"Hey, you bought 'em," Mac sneered, putting on his mask, "Now, are we doing this or what?"

Fred reached into glove compartment and pulled out his pistol, tucking it into his jeans pocket. He smiled. "It's good to be back."

The three men jumped out of the car and slammed the doors shut behind them. Fred enjoyed the cool breeze, "Nothing quite like Queens on an autumn night," he whispered to himself. They casually walked into the bank's ATM room and up to the machine. Herman nervously kept watch while Mac was prying the screen off with his crowbar, humming happily. Fred just stood there and smiled under his mask.

Mac spoke up. "Hey Fred, what ever happened to you going straight after prison? Couldn't handle Burger King?"

"Burger King couldn't handle _ME,_ " Fred laughed. "You know me, I just can't stay away from this kind of stuff. This is my passion!"

Mac moved out of the way, and Herman started working the drill. "If I get into this quick enough maybe we could also hit the place on 108th tonight." Right on cue, the drill made that satisfying sound of breaking through the safe. Herman swung the hatch open and then went back on guard duty as Mac and Fred starting stuffing their bags with bricks of fresh bills, like sheltered children on Halloween night. Herman, being the nervous wreck that he was, checked every possible direction for police or witnesses. He shrieked when he looked straight up at the ceiling.

"Aw man, I was gonna jump down and do a cool pose!" the man on the ceiling whined. The three criminals were looking right up at him in confusion, and their eyes followed as he somersaulted down to the bank floor, stumbling to his feet. He was wearing a red hoodie and blue sweatpants with red socks pulled up over them. His fingerless gloves connected to bulky devices on his wrists, and his face was hidden by a red mask with round eyes, like camera lenses. A crudely-drawn spider was on the front of his hoodie. "See? you guys made me mess up the cool landing!"

Mac responded instantly, screaming and charging at him with the crowbar. The man effortlessly dodged, letting the momentum carry Mac. The man shot a white, web-like thread out of the device on his left wrist, pinning Mac to the wall with his crowbar-hand. "Stick around," the man said with a very bad Arnold Schwarzenegger impression. Herman tried getting a punch in, but the masked man avoided that too and flipped towards the wall, sticking to it. "I don't want you to miss out on the fun!" He aimed a web at Herman's chest and pulled him forward, sticking the other end of the web to the ceiling. The man giggled at Mac trying to get his hand unstuck and Herman, safely suspended from the ceiling, flailing his arms and legs. Fred growled and brandished his gun. He couldn't handle going back to prison, especially after just getting out. The masked man noticed the weapon and landed the ground, putting his hands up. "I didn't know you had a _gun!"_

"Yeah, that's right!" Fred nervously laughed, quickly running through his usual speech to witnesses. "I don't want any funny business, okay? Don't try to be a hero!"

"But that's in my job description!" the man joked. He _thwipped_ the gun out of Fred's hand and tossed it aside. "Any particular way you'd like this to end? Being webbed to the ceiling usually looks like the most fun."

Fred felt the sweat drip down his forehead and assessed his options, scanning the room. He made the poor choice of reaching for Herman's discarded drill. The masked man immediately webbed him to the wall, shooting more and more onto him. He was completely cocooned except for his face. The restriction made him feel completely paralyzed.

"It's such a shame, I don't understand why the Avengers would turn to crime!" the man taunted, scribbling something on a notepad. He tore out the note and webbed it right next to Fred. Fred stretched his neck as much as he could and read _Courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man._ When he looked up, _Spider-Man_ had vanished.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Hello, and welcome to my first attempt at a Spider-Man story! Spider-Man is one of my favorite characters in all of comics, so this will definitely do justice to him and all of his related characters. After seeing Spider-Man Homecoming, I was inspired to write something from more of a villain's point-of-view and involving Spider-Man's early days. And you can also tell where I got the Avengers-bank-robbery idea from, sorry. But further down the line, this will end up taking more inspiration from Nick Spencer's _Superior Foes of Spider-Man_ series, a favorite of mine.

If anyone is also reading my Batman story, no, I'm not abandoning that in favor of this. I just had a little inspiration and wanted to at least get the first chapter for this down. I have both stories planned far enough out that there shouldn't be a problem or drop in quality with either of them.

And please leave this a review if you can! I love to hear criticism and thoughts about my stories! What you like, what you dislike, what you think will happen, what you _hope_ will happen, anything! Either way, prepare yourself for the next chapter, where another major player is introduced!


	2. The Great Escape

Fred _couldn't stand_ going through _this_ routine. A scowl was frozen on his face as the officer barked for him to turn around to get the side profile mugshot. He grew out a bit of stubble and bleached his hair since the last time he was arrested, so they had to update his record. The ATM robbery was only a tiny extension of the already-long list, and he was hoping to make it a _lot_ longer, but that "Spider-Man" put a stop to that. The officer took some fingerprints, so they could definitely convict him in court, and then slapped him back in handcuffs. Two officers then led him out of the room, guiding him down the station's hallways. They passed the holding cell, and Fred caught a glimpse of Herman waving. He ignored it, but the officers kept leading him down the hallway.

"Hey, what gives? I took your pretty pictures, can I go back in the cell now?"

The officer stared at him like he was an idiot. "We're taking you in for questioning," he said gruffly, "due to the _unusual_ circumstances of your arrest."

They walked into a plain room with a table, two chairs, and a two-way mirror. Fred grunted as the officer handcuffed him to the interrogation table. One officer stayed by the door while the other one walked out, bringing back in another police officer: a stern looking man with grey hair. He had a frustrated look in his eyes. "Captain George Stacy, NYPD. I'm here to ask you a couple questions about the night of your arrest."

Fred smiled. "Hit me."

Captain Stacy sat down across from Fred and placed several folders on the table. "Starting about two months ago, we've had a string of arrests helped in part by a masked vigilante-"

"The Spider-Man?"

Captain Stacy coughed. "That's what he's calling himself in his little notes, yes. Even though he seems to be doing good, a vigilante with his _set of skills_ is something we'd like to keep tabs on."

"And you think I know something about him?"

He sighed. "Let's just start with the basics for now. Do you have any idea who this _Spider-Man_ is?"

Fred grinned. "Oh yeah, I know him all right." He leaned in towards Captain Stacy. "Well, at least I'm pretty sure it's the same guy. I went to high school with him, Midtown High, class of 2008." An officer starting writing down notes. "Kid was obsessed with spiders, like _weird obsessed._ Creepy guy would just sit at the lunch table by himself and sketch these things with _such detail._ You couldn't go anywhere near him outside, he was always looking around for webs in trees or bushes. He went to NYU for entomology, go figure. He could've been doing some weird mad science experiments, I have no idea. It sounds kind of crazy, but we live in a world where the Hulk exists, so-"

"Do you have a name?" Captain Stacy asked, looking curious.

"Of course! Do you want his full name, like middle initial and everything?"

"Tell us as much as you know." Stacy requested. The officer taking notes looked up in anticipation.

"Okay, okay. He was Welsh or something, so I'm definitely going to butcher the pronunciation. His name was Iwan."

"His full name?"

Fred just sat there with a giant smile plastered on his face. "Iwan A. Lawyer."

One of the officers audibly groaned. Stacy looked even more frustrated than before. "Don't waste our time! Do you know _anything_ about the Spider-Man? How did he fight, what did he say?!"

Fred chuckled. "Listen, I've danced through this more times than I can count. I know my rights, I want a lawyer."

Stacy furrowed his brow and sighed again. He gestured to one of the other officers. "Mulligan, call in a public defendant," he ordered, "get that new guy, what's his name, Murdock or something?" Mulligan nodded and walked out of the room. "Are you sure there's nothing you can tell us right now?" Stacy questioned once more.

"Lawyer," Fred repeated, a cocky inflection in his voice. He casually leaned back in his chair, as far as he could go with the handcuffs still attached to the table.

Mulligan ran back into the room out of breath, shouting "Sir! We've got a Spider-Man sighting, not far from Forest Hills!"

Stacy nearly jumped out of his seat in excitement. "Someone get Myers back in the holding cell for now," he ordered with a sense of urgency, "I'm going to catch this vigilante in action." He immediately marched out of the room, the other officers following. One took Fred and led him back to the holding cell. As the door locked behind him, Fred slumped onto the bench next to Herman, crossing his arms. Mac was leaning against the wall, staring down the hallway.

"So, what's next?" Mac asked impatiently. He didn't take well to imprisonment.

"It's pretty simple, I'm getting a lawyer in here soon, and-"

Fred's sentence was cut off by an alarm blaring throughout the station. The police officers left in the building all rushed through, past the holding cell, guns in hand.

"I swear I didn't plan _this,_ " Fred declared.

"Well I don't care, at least _I'm_ going to get out of here," Mac snapped, pushing himself off the wall. "Get up, is the bench bolted down?"

Fred and Herman stood up, and Herman spoke up, "No, I don't think-"

"Good, help me lift it. The cops were nice enough to give us a battering ram."

Fred jumped in front of the cell door. "Guys, wait. If we wait for my lawyer, we'll definitely get out of this, but if they catch us _now-"_

"I don't care, I want out," Mac grunted, "move or be moved." Fred shrugged and joined the pair in lifting the bench. If they were caught, he would just claim that he was threatened into helping, which wasn't really a lie. In sync, they swung the metal bench against the door's lock.

 _CLANG._

They swung again.

 _CLANG._

They swung again.

 _CLINK._

The lock mechanism burst off in multiple pieces, and the trio dropped the bench. Checking around the hallway's corner, Mac was the first to make a run for it, with Herman and Fred following in that order. They ran down each hallway of the station, which seemed abandoned except for the siren sounds and flashing emergency lights filling every room. Mac kicked open the station's back door, getting blinded by the bright sunlight. As Fred's eyes were adjusting, he immediately ducked a flying, flaming car door, nearly taking his head off. It definitely spooked Herman. They looked up and saw a giant mechanical rhino thrashing around in the police station parking lot, flipping over cruisers with it's horn at a small swarm of officers opening fire.

Fred stared in awe, barely able to get the words _"What the hell is that?"_ out.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Yeah, that happened. A lot more Spider-Man villains outside of our terrible trio (we're halfway to a Sinister Six!) will get introduced throughout this story, some as soon as next chapter. Prepare yourselves.

Also, Spider-Man is completely absent from this chapter, appearing in name only. I originally intended most of this story to be like that, with Spidey being a background presence most of the time, but I think it would be a lot of fun to start showing some glimpses into Peter's turbulent high school life, which is completely unknown to his enemies. Expect some more of that soon as well.


	3. Rhino

Officer Dallas Riordan was _NOT_ having a good day.

Her car broke down, so she had to take the bus. She was running late, so she didn't have time to pick up her morning espresso. Her weekly paperwork was late too, so she had been doing nothing but that all morning.

And now there was a giant robotic rhinoceros attacking her police station.

She ducked behind a squad car next to Mulligan, firing off shots when able to. "What the hell is this thing? Doesn't this seem like more of an _Avengers_ type of job?"

Mulligan slouched back down to reload. "Someone just radioed Stacy, who knows what he'll be able to do. Do the Avengers have a landline?"

"Seems a little late for that at this point."

"Hey, I think we're doing an okay job."

Mulligan regret his words when he saw a fiery car barreling towards him. Riordan grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the way. He looked back, and the car they were using as cover was also on fire, as well as upside-down. They assimilated into the main crowd of officers firing shots. After a count, several threw smoke grenades towards the mechanical beast, but they didn't seem to disorient it much. Riordan looked at Mulligan, "Maybe the thing's got thermal vision?"

"Does that matter? It's not like it's trying to _directly_ attack us." She paused for a second as the Rhino rolled another car towards the station, hitting the brick wall with a loud _THUD._ "It's just creating carnage for the sake of it, it's a distraction!"

"I don't know if you noticed," Mulligan fired off two more rounds, "But this thing is _HUGE,_ what does it want with _us?_ Do you think it even knew most of the 110th was heading off to chase Spider-Man?"

"My guess is that it doesn't care," she muttered. _But what was it the distraction for?_

Suddenly, the station's back door flew open and three sketchy looking men ran out, _definitely not fellow officers._ One word popped into Riordan's mind, and she immediately shouted it: " _JAILBREAK! IT'S A JAILBREAK!"_

The three convicts looked just as puzzled and scared about the Rhino as the remainder of the police force did. Whatever was going on was news to them as well, but they didn't waste their opportunity to escape. The Rhino also noticed, and flipped another cruiser towards the firing line before moving itself between them and the criminals. Without warning, Mulligan sprinted towards the trio, trying to weave around the mechanical beast. "Pat!" Riordan shouted out.

The Rhino seemed to change forms, like it was shifting between two different "modes." It stood up and took a bipedal form, revealing an obvious steel cockpit in its chest. It noticed Mulligan and swung out one foot, kicking the officer a clear twenty feet or so. As several yells of "Officer down!" rang out, twin machine guns burst from the Rhino's forearms, delivering an almost-endless stream of bullets from long belts to the asphalt in front of the crowd of officers. _It's establishing a perimeter,_ Riordan thought, _it doesn't want us getting through._ Noticing that it wouldn't go anywhere, she shifted her attention back to Mulligan. He had a couple broken ribs _at least._

After another couple minutes of guarding its territory, the Rhino seemed to shut itself off. No one wanted to get close enough to it to make sure, but they had jobs to do.

Upon approaching it, and getting onto another officer's shoulders, Riordan peered into the small strip of bulletproof glass on the cockpit. It was empty inside. She hopped off the officer's shoulders and looked around at the fiery wreckage all across the parking lot. Only _then_ did backup from other precincts arrive, along with the return of Captain Stacy and the rest of _her own._

 **. . .**

"I have no idea what that thing was, but I think I'm in love with it now," Herman joyfully exclaimed between deep breaths. He wasn't much of a sprinter.

"We just got lucky," Fred panted, slowing down to a walk. "And we're far enough away now, we'll just look sketchy running for our lives."

They were surrounded by tall apartment buildings. Well, tall for Queens. It was a more dense, urban area, a great spot to hide. And it wasn't like anyone was looking for them either, the cops had a robot rhinoceros to worry about before runaway petty thieves. But they were all on edge anyways. None of them were new to running away from the law, but the paranoia is just a feeling that doesn't go away, even with years of experience.

Mac noticed a large man walking uncomfortably close behind them, like he had been following the group. Mac turned around put the massive man in a chokehold. "What do you want?!"

The man attempted to speak, "This - is no way - to - treat an - old friend." He grabbed and twisted Mac's arm, throwing him to the ground. "And it's no way to say _thank you_ either."

Mac coughed. "Aleksei? What-"

"You're welcome," Aleksei said sarcastically, which was difficult to interpret with his thick Russian accent.

Fred marched up to him and held his hand out for a handshake. It was pretty awkward for both parties, but he wasn't sure what else to do. He was just in complete shock about the last fifteen minutes. Aleksei just patted him on the shoulder and laughed. "Come on old friend, I have a lot to show you." He walked past the group, and they followed. "This city has changed a lot since you got out of jail, yes?"

"I guess you could say that," Fred muttered, cringing at the memory of being cocooned in webs.

Aleksei looked over his shoulder. "And if this city changes, we need to change too."

Fred knew better than to question what Aleksei was doing. He led the crew into a small store tucked between two apartment buildings. A fading wooden sign read _Mason's Repairs and Spare Parts._ A flickering neon sign in the window read _OPEN,_ creating an interesting contrast with the oranging afternoon sky.

Aleksei pushed open the door, ringing a small bell. The shop was filled with tables and shelves covered with all sorts of gadgets, parts, and pieces. A small old-looking man sat on a stool behind the cash register, his nose deep in a book about a science that Fred couldn't even pronounce correctly if he tried. "Who the hell are they?" the man barked, taking off his reading glasses.

"Friends," Aleksei replied.

"Did Toomes approve of them?"

"No, b-"

"This is his operation too, you can't just waltz in here and show them-"

"Show us what?" Mac interjected. "Your shitty spare parts store? What are we going to do, fix our bikes so we can leave a smaller carbon footprint while we're on the run?"

The old man bottled up his anger and let out a sigh, an argument wasn't wasn't worth the energy. "Aleksei, are you sure about them?"

He put his hand on Fred's shoulder again. "They have a mutual interest. And I'd trust Fred with my life."

Fred smiled. Partially because he thought it was sweet, and partially because he knew Aleksei was completely bullshitting the old man. In organized crime like the Mafia, or anyone working under Fisk, your brothers in arms against the law were truly _brothers._ There was real teamwork, a sense of family. But in what Fred like to call _disorganized crime,_ street crime, it was a lot more simple. Every man for himself, kill or be killed. Fred would double cross both Herman and Mac (but especially Herman) if it meant a higher payout or a chance to get away. And he was sure they would do the same for him. Honor among thieves only existed until a certain point.

The old man looked like he didn't quite buy it, but he also looked like he didn't care that much. "Alright," he acknowledged, "I'll take your word. But they're your responsibility, if Toomes says anything-"

"He won't. They'll blend right in with us."

"You've got it. And you already know what the elevator code is." He pointed towards a corner of the store and then went back into his book.

Herman looked confused. "Elevator?"

Aleksei smirked. "Come on, I'll show you all where the toys are." He approached keypad on store's far wall and typed in several digits. The floor beneath them seemed to rumble, like there was a mild earthquake. Aleksei stepped aside and flipped up a loose floorboard, revealing an old industrial-looking service elevator below them. He sat down, feet dangling, and hopped in. Fred followed instantly and eagerly. Mac and Herman were more hesitant, but they hopped in as well. Herman started coughing from the stirred-up dust. Aleksei flipped a switch, and they descended.

"We'll be prepared, no matter what that _Spider-Man_ is planning right now," he smirked.

 **. . .**

 _My algebra test is tomorrow!_ Spider-Man thought as he tumbled through his bedroom window, struggling to strip out of his red and blue costume, which was still more of a sweatsuit. He wouldn't look out of place on a treadmill trying to make weight for a boxing match. Well, besides the mask. He quickly pulled it off, fixing his matted hair and tracing his fingers across what would later become a small bruise on his temple.

He heard the apartment's door swing open, _perfect timing._ "Hey Peter!" Aunt May yelled, "I'm home! You studying up there?"

Peter threw his spider-insignia hoodie across his room into the pile of clothes at the base of his dresser. "Yeah, of course I am! You know me! Nerdy Peter Parker, always studying!" He slipped into a Midtown High sweatshirt and grabbed his algebra textbook from across the room with a web.

Aunt May walked into the room. "There's no need to be facetious with me, I just don't want your grades slipping again, like how they did after-"

"May, stop. You don't need to worry, I'm fine."

"You've been staying inside today, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Just wanted to make sure, it was just on the news, some giant robot _thing_ was attacking the police station! It's a crazy world out there, I don't want you getting hurt."

This was news to Peter. He tried to look uninterested. _"May..."_ he groaned.

She gave him a motherly smile. "Alright alright, takeout sushi for dinner?"

"Sounds great."

Aunt May left, and Peter let out a sigh of relief. _Armed carjackers right after school today, algebra test third period tomorrow, a giant robot attacking Queens,_ he thought to himself. _What a life._

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

There we go, another chapter down, and some more buildup to what this story will be about.

I based the Rhino suit off of its design from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 because I actually really liked it (from the tiny bit that we saw). And I really enjoyed writing the small glimpse into Peter's life outside of the suit, so I'm definitely going to put a lot more of that in, while still focusing on Fred, Herman, Mac, Aleksei, and whatever other future villains who may appear soon.

And still, feel free to leave me a review with criticism, ideas, or predictions? Which villains will appear next? Who will be the next to suit up? Will Peter pass his algebra test?


End file.
